Acura TL Real World MPG

rvator4 · December 2008

Just back from a 2193 mile trip in a new 08 TL NAV base model. The on-board computer indicated 29, 30 and even 31 MPG for the entire trip. Actual MPG for the trip was 26.8, about 8% less than the 00 TL just 3 months ago(less HP).
Miles on the car when we left was 876. Speeds were above the norm. Ran like a charm though. Did the return trip all in one day.

zak_auto · December 2008

I've had my '08 TL Type-S for a month now. On just highway driving around 75 MPH I get about 30-31 MPG. In a mix of highway & city driving I get about 26-27 MPG. With mostly city driving I get about 24 MPG. If I drive aggressively and mostly city driving I get a MPG in the low 20s. My last car was an RSX Type-S and the MPG didn't seem to jump around as much. The RSX was only a 4 cylinder though.

djallen · December 2008

Have a 2008 TL, over the last year my actual mileage has averaged 28 highway and 21 city.

ponderpoint · December 2008

The yellow fuel low warning light came on and then I started watching "range/miles" left to empty. I thought I was excruciatingly close to running out of gas (10 miles to empty) when I pulled into the gas station.

I filled up the tank and it only took 14 gallons! Owners manual says 17 or so total and this obviously would mean you would have a LOT more range left than indicated on the computer (at least 60 miles by my driving habits).

Does anybody know if the range indication has issues with accuracy? Is it "pessimistic" to keep the motorist out of trouble (stranded) and have a dumb factor built in or is it really accurate? Any techies know anything about it? It's an 06 TL and I always reset the trip computer at fill-ups.

Thanks....

laurasdada · December 2008

'05 TL, same deal. I learned early on that the low fuel warning light comes on, well, early on... Better safe than walking...

rickpoole · January 2009

The most explanation I've gotten is the computation is mostly based on manifold pressure. Seems like it would take a minor software update to make it much more accurate. But, I wonder how many sales they would have lost if it was accurate. I test drove the 07 TL three times in different traffic, different speeds, and different driving styles. Driving normally to conservatively resulted in a reading of 21-24 mpg and driving aggressively resulted in only 18 mpg . Given the inaccuracy it meant it really got 19-22 and 16. Given my requirement was no less than 20 mpg city it would have put the purchase in jeopardy unless the final price was lower to compensate for the lower mileage.

aaargh · January 2009

Yes, it is very pessimistic. You do not want to foul the injectors with crud, so they want you to fill up well before empty.

This is the case for my '04 and I believe for every TL through '08.

ponderpoint · January 2009

"You do not want to foul the injectors with crud"

Well.... I guess that's why my mechanic says "NEVER EVER run out of fuel with a fuel injected car!!!! Thanks for the answer, I've pretty much concluded that there is range left when the computer is showing 10 or so miles. I'm not in the routine of getting that close anyway but it's nice to know in case of an emergency...

keithl · January 2009

I have 2008 Type-S and over 12K miles am averaging 22.4, I had another 2008 Type-S before this one and avergaed 21.5 on that one. The differecne I think is the gas I use now. I used to use Chevron and Shell, great gas but I suspect numerous mom & pop statiosn are not real honest with calibrating their pumps. IOn this Type-S I use exclusevliy Quik Trip Premium and see better MPG all around. I have doen more HWY on this car, but tank by tank I still see at least .5 MPG better on Quick Trip. My 07 BAse TL with NAV over 11K miles averaged 22.5 MPG as well. I also only use Mobil1 5W20 Synthtic in my cars.

flanker0219 · February 2009

Hi, I have an 08 TL with approx 2000 miles on it. I mostly drive in the city on roads where the average speed limit is about 40-45 mph. My trip computer shows 15 mpg - today I was observing the range and it dropped by about 20 miles when infact I had driven just about 11 miles. I am not an aggressive driver however most of my trips are short - I drive on an avg 15 miles/day.
Should the fact I mostly drive on city roads for short trips bring down my mileage so much?

keithl · February 2009

Short trips are killers plan and simple, the car takes a few miles to warm up and until then the MPG is going to be off. In winter the warm up time is longer as the temp is colder. I drive 18 miles to work and at average back roads speed of 40-45 MPH with lights I get 24-25MPG on way to work as there is no traffic, same trip home with traffic I am lucky if I get 20-21MPG and the trip home takes 15 minutes longer due to traffic. Short trips of a few miles and I get horrible MPG. The GF has a CRV, gets 23 MPG on decent 18 mile commute for me, her commute is 6-7 miles and more traffic and she gets 19 MPG, car is warming up half the trip and then the traffic kills it.

rvator4 · March 2009

Just back from a 2338 mile trip in our 08 TL 3.2. Got 27.6 MPG.
Same trip in November we got 26.8.
First trip when we left had just 870 or so miles. This trip started with 3534 miles on car. Maybe it will continue to get better. Has a long way to go to match same trips in 00 3.2 TL where we got right at 30 MPG.
Speed was very fast as usual.
Before leaving I installed 3M clear protective covering myself and it worked great.

laurasdada · March 2009

Hello: Quick ski trip to New Hampster for my birthday in my '05 TL Auto:

Miles: 389
Avg. Speed: 48mph
Avg. MPG: 28+

Per the OBC.

Skiing was great!

guyverfanboy · June 2009

Does have any 2009 numbers for the newest generation TL?

neiman · June 2009

I have a 2009 TL w/Tech with about 3100 miles. Per the trip computer I have gotten 23.2 mpg over the 3100 miles. I would say you should expect 25-26 on strictly highway driving and 21-22 for city driving.

guyverfanboy · June 2009

how fast do you usually go? I try to go around 65 MPH to get the maximum gas mileage.

markcp · June 2009

Just returned from a 400 mile round trip on two lane highways. Used cruise most of the trip set at 61. OBC totaled 32.5 mpg when I pulled home into the garage with our 09 TL with tech. Very happy with it after 6000 miles.

rickpoole · June 2009

I had a 2009 TL w/tech for over a week while my 2007 TL was in the shop. Most of the driving was the same city driving I do in my 2007 TL and the computed mileage (miles driven / gallons used) was actually lower than my TL (18 versus 20). All the city driving was conservative - gentle acceleration, letting the car slow down normally versus maintaining speed up to red lights, etc. I expected slightly better mileage from the 2009 since they are both rated at 18 city but the 2007 rating were about 10-20% high and the 2009 ratings are supposed to be much closer to actual driving. I only got to drive about 60 highway miles and it averaged about 2 mpg less than my 2007 TL (26 versus 28). Mileage computer always showed about 10% higher than actual (which is about the same as my 2007 TL). The one thing I could never get a clear answer to was whether the dealer's loaner cars were filled with regular or premium. Based on how much acceleration the 2009 TL had I'd be surprised if it was filled with regular (my 2007 TL shows a noticeable drop in acceleration if filled with regular). Since I didn't get to refill it from near empty I also didn't get to test whether a complete ECU reset like I do on my 2007 TL every few fillups helps improve the mileage.

markcp · June 2009

To verify the OBC on this trip, I check actual miles to actual gas at fill up. Came in a 33 mpg. My wife has been getting around 25 mpg with mix of small city and highway.

smarty666 · July 2009

I drive a base 2008 TL and am getting about 24mpg city and about 27-28 mpg on the highway; I consider these excellent numbers for a luxury sports sedan like the TL; the only other luxury sedan that gets good numbers like this is the ES350 buts thats not a sports sedan; infiniti, BMW, or audi doesn't get numbers like this!!!

neiman · July 2009

2009 TL with Tech with 4,500 miles averaged 26.5 mpg on last tankful per the on board computer. Best results yet. Primarily 400 highway miles for this tank. Although, my wife drove a few of the miles and I suspect she was driving a little slower than I do. Pleasantly surprised at 26.5mpg.

smarty666 · August 2009

I drive a 2008 Base TL and have been using Hess 93 Octane gas for the last year; I've been getting a respectable 24 MPG with mostly rural town/city driving and about 28-29 MPG with highway/interstate travel; over the last two months I switched to Shell V-power after reading several articles on Edmunds, etc how Shell is a top tier fuel and they most people get their best gas mileage with them but I don't see that happening with me; I've had 6 fill ups with Shell V-power and have lost 2 MPG in all driving; I now get 22 MPG with mostly rural town/city driving and about 25-26 MPG with highway/interstate travel; has anyone else had this happen to them? I was going to give it another two fillups with Shell V-Power to see if the MPG improves but if it doesn't I'm going to switch back to Hess/Exxon/BP 93 Octane

rickpoole · August 2009

Not with Hess/Shell but with Racetrack/Chevron. I had been getting about 21 mpg mostly city driving (85% city, very conservatively driven) using Racetrack 93. But the last two fillups were at the same Chevron with 93 and mileage was down immediately - still 21 mpg but with 50% city (should have been around 24). Went back to Racetrack and after 1/2 a tank of 85% city it is currently at 22 (reading 24 but is always 8-10% high). While running the Chevron 93 it didn't seem to have as much power so it makes me wonder if their 93 tanks got filled with 87. According to local Acura dealership there is no way to determine this from the diagnostic equipment and a local lab says it would cost about $100 to run a test to determine the octane rating of a sample of gas.

smarty666 · August 2009

The only thing I can think of is that both Exxon and Hess have stickers on their pumps that say 10% ethanol while the Shell stations do not; so Shell either has no ethanol in their gas or less than 10%; I've read that ethanol is suppose to help thin out the gas and make it burn less emissions; its possible that the car is able to get better fuel economy gasoline with 10% ethanol cause its thinned out and its not used to pure gasoline so the car uses the ethanol to burn the gas more efficiently and thus better fuel economy; this is only a assumption but it is the only thing I can think of off the top of my head that could explain why I've been getting worse gas mileage with Shell

m6user · August 2009

Ethanol blends actually reduce your mpg not enhance it. Don't know why you're getting less mpg at Shell but ethanol is not the answer. Straight ethanol, while being cheaper to buy, delivers only about 70% mpg compared to straight gasoline so a 10% blend probably reduces mpg about 1-2 mpg.

smarty666 · August 2009

well if it is not the ethanol I don't know what it is but since switching back to 93 octane Hess and Exxon gas I'm getting 2-3 mpg better than when I was using the Shell and back to what I was getting before; can't figure out why because it seems opposite from what it should be but I have to go where ever I'm getting the better mpg at - oh well

smarty666 · September 2009

I previously leased a 06 Base TL and now am leasing a 08 Base TL; I was looking at the original window stickers and the EPA on my 06 was 20mpg city - 29mpg highway and my 08 is 18mpg city - 26mpg highway; I also looked up in my gas records and saw that on avg I was getting 24-25 mpg with 80% rural and 20% highway driving on my 06 Base TL and now with my 08 Base TL on avg I'm getting 21-22mpg with 80% rural and 20% highway driving; both cars are filled with the same 93 octane gas and driven relatively identical but the drop in mpg from 06 to 08 is consistent with the EPA drop on the window stickers; what I don't understand is what changed between the 04-06 models and the 07-08 models to warrant the drop in fuel econ? the base engines were the exact same and the gas tank is the same size so I am at a lost as to what changed between 2006 and 2007 that affected the fuel economy? any suggestions or ideas would be appreciated!!

mf15 · September 2009

07 base TL about 17000 miles, get 30-31 MPG on highway at 74+ per OBC.
Got to love the car,will cry when lease is up next year.
Old Mike

mkacura · September 2009

New car at 410 miles so not even broken in. 09 TL AWD non Tech. Northern NJ to Boston, straight shot with one bio break. No traffice jams, no A/C, no cruise, 65-70 MPH with burst of 75+ for passing. About 200 mile trip. Got highest 28.7 but I would say floating aroung 28.3.

Delighted! Can't imagine what the number will be when the engine is broken in. Gas used was 1/2 tank left over from the dealer and the rest Sunoco Premium (91). Yeah I know, while pumping I realized they had Ultra (93).

smarty666 · November 2009

I just couldn't believe based on other peoples reports that Shell gas would give me worse gas mileage then Hess/Exxon but suffice it to say I went back and tried the Shell Premium again and it must of been that it just took awhile to get rid of the other crap gas and gunk in the engine but I'm finally getting much better fuel economy on my 08 TL: now, with Shell V-Power, I'm getting 24-25mpg avg compared to 21-22mpg avg before with Hess/Exxon: same driving dynamics with about 80% rural city driving and 20% highway/interstate driving: very happy with this gas mileage than what I was getting before: I've been able to get about a 28-29mpg reading on the open highway/interstate: All I have to say is what Mr. Burns would, EXCELLENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

robocam · February 2010

The change on the sticker of the 08 TL is due to new standards for testing. The actual figures have not changed between the 06 and 08 models. To look up the new figures for the 06 TL, go here http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/findacar.htm That is fueleconomy dot gov or do a search for fuel economy. Were you using the same tires? Same inflation pressures? Same seasons?

smarty666 · February 2010

yes, it was the same tires, same inflation pressures, and same seasons!! if you read my last two posts here though, since I originally posted I switched to 93 Octane Shell and I getting even better gas mileage on my 08 then I did on my 06!!! I've even gotten a 30-31 mpg open highway/interstate on two trips out to Pittsburgh on Shell gas!!

booya!!!! :shades:

graphicguy · March 2010

smarty....that's the kind of MPG I like hearing about. Not sure that MPG would transfer over to a heavier SH AWD version, though. Getting close would be good, though (27MPG?).

smarty666 · March 2010

I know, I still can't believe it! is just fabulous mpg, go Shell and Acura!!! :shades:

or should I say Acura

Heart

Shell Gas

tatsea · March 2010

would love to read more postings on MPG on the 2010 Base TL. Please post.

slbible · March 2010

I have owned my TL for almost 4 months and 6,000 miles. 75% highway and 25% city. I have yet to touch the the "B" trip planner. I have averaged 26.4 mpg per the computer and on a recent trip from Albuquerque to Dallas I averaged 27.2 mpg at between 75 and 82 mph. I'm pretty happy with these numbers considering the other vehicles in my fleet are a 2006 Accord EX 4 cylinder 26 to 31 MPG, 2003 Civic EX 30 to 37 mpg, and 2002 Odyessy EX-L 20 to 25 mpg. None of which come close to the performance of the TL.

rvator4 · March 2011

I have a base 2008 TL that had 13,000 miles on it prior to this trip. I always have it serviced at a local Honda dealer and just a month ago, had the oil changed, tires rotated and balanced, and a 4-wheel alignment. The Honda dealer always add's an oil additive.

We just returned from a 1941 mile trip and used 67.025 gallon. That calculates to 28.99 MPG. Tire pressure was 33 PSI before starting but I noticed it rose to 38 in the front (37 rear) on the trip.
Speeds were very high and I had many miles at 90 MPH and above.

By the way, I alternate tanks between mid grade and high grade gasoline, all BP gas. Total gas cost was $251.95 or $ 12.98 per hundred miles.

Love the car.

sg5 · February 2012

Hi Guys,
I recently purchased 2012 TL and have 1150+ miles on it. My average mileage is stuck on 18.5 MPG. One of the reason for selecting 2012 TL was gas mileage over other car ike infinity/bmw in the segment. I was expecting it to be in low 20's. My wife drives it. 70% highway/30% city. She is very conservative driver. Dealer told me that it will increase after 1000 miles but it hasn't. I have read somewhere it takes 3-4K miles before mileage reaches it's optimum value. I would love to hear any experiences/advice.
Thanks

rickpoole · February 2012

I have a 2007 TL and found city driving with a lot of stop and go resulted in way below the EPA rating. Even driving gently only yielded 16-17 MPG. The 2011 TLs I had for loaner cars didn't seem to do much better. The only way I could get above EPA rating (22 vs 18) is to drive to avoid stopping as much as possible, coast to stops, and shut the engine off if stopping for more than 30 seconds at red lights.

bigdaveinomaha · February 2012

I have a 2012 SH-AWD TL with advance package. The car has ~2800 miles on it. I've had the car only for the last 600 miles (bought it used with 2200 on it already). So far I'm averaging 21-22 mpg in combined driving. I do have to admit that since I am a fresh new owner I've "played" with the car a bit and that is probably taking a toll on the car. I've also spent a lot of time on my first two tanks sitting idle while I play with the cars electronic toys. I'll have to post again soon when I have more run time and more time that represents the typical day-to-day driving.

geekybiker · February 2012

I've gotten 22mpg combined on my '06 manual TL ever since I bought it in Chicago traffic. That's MID, not calculated.

strike_eagle · February 2012

We drive 2006 TL Manual Tran. We live in the Chicago burbs. 75% hwy 25% city.
Midgrade gas, 100k
On OEM tires we were getting 27-29mpg, usually closer to 29 than 27. For the 1st 50k mi.
With Conti Extreme Contact tires we dropped to 25-27mpg, and even worse when the Conti's were brand new.

I've found that the sweet spot for good MPG is between 70-75mph. Taking it to 75-80mph can lose 1-2 mpg quickly ( maybe 3 over extended time?) You may think you're getting there quicker, but if you can make the trip w/ 1 less stop for gas, that prob. will save you 15 min, give or take

Keep the shifts close to 3,000 rpm

joeldavid1 · February 2012

rickpoole · February 2012

If you want to get the maximum mileage or maximum performance then yes you need to use premium. But, all Acura cars will run on any gas. Using a lower octane rating will cause the engine computer to retard the timing to eliminate predetonation (or what a lot of people call pinging). As it retards the timing the power is reduced and as the power is reduced it take more gas to do the same work thus overall mileage is reduced. In my 2007 TL I get about 3 MPG less on regular versus premium. So, it actually costs a little less per mile when using premium versus regular.

In addition to reduced mileage the reduced power due to the retarded timing can make a notable difference in performance. When I first tried regular on a highway trip I could tell it took a little longer to get up to highway speeds. But, once when I had to quickly accelerate from 65 MPH to avoid someone there wasn't much extra power available, in fact, I had to floor it to get even a moderate amount of acceleration from 65 MPH. When using premium the car will rapidly accelerate from 65 MPH even when the gas is not pressed all the way to the floor.

chirocat · February 2012

Believe it or not, your wife's "conservative driving" is what is tanking your mileage, that and the auto trans. I am an aggressive driver and accelerate quite hard at ALL times to 5-10 mph above the limit. Since I bought my 08 TLS 6M in 2007, I have yet to get less than 20 mpg CITY....yes, stop and go with hard acceleration. I usually average 21-22. Until 2009 I lived 23 miles from my work and had to drive about 16 miles on the freeway. Usually at 75-80. I was pulling in an average of 24-25.

Here is the secret. Any acceleration at all yields poor mileage, it doesn't matter if you are ginger on the throttle or accelerate like I do. Your instantaneous mileage will be maybe 10-15 mpg. In your wife's case, lets say we have to drive 4 blocks to the next light. I will be doing the speed limit, or 10 above in about 200-300 feet. Your wife's conservative driving will cause her to spend maybe 3 or 4 times that distance accelerating, albeit slowly. As soon as I get to cruising speed I am getting 35-40 mpg, while she is still getting 15. This easily makes up for my more aggressive acceleration.

Also when I mean "aggressive" acceleration I am talking about moderate throttle and shifting below 4000 rpm. I usually shift 1-2-3-6 in this type of driving. I also drive a 1998 Ford Ranger with an EPA "19 City/ 21 Combined/ 24 Highway". I drive it the same way and get 21 combined.

There have been numerous tests to back up this theory, I am just amazed they don't disseminate it. Maybe because they don't want to give people the idea of aggressive driving. BMW did such a study once and concluded that "brisk acceleration" was the most economical. Try it, it works. At least it does with a manual, since I don't drive auto trans cars I can't vouch for them. :shades:

sg5 · March 2012

Thanks chirocat for your detailed explanation. It does makes sense to me. I am definitely going to try it.

chirocat · March 2012

Please post your results, I am sure hopping it's not just me LOL.

mcb345 · March 2012

I have an interesting little comparison here... I previously had a 2009 TSX manual that was rated at 20mpg/28mpg with a combined of 23 mpg. I live in Chicago and have the same commute of a mile or two in the city and 10-12 miles of stop and go highway driving. I averaged about 26mpg with the TSX.

I recently got a new 2012 TL, I currently have just under 400 miles on it. EPA rates the car at 20mpg / 29mpg, combined 23 (so 1mph better on highway and the rest are the same as the TSX). I don't quite understand how a car with 80 more hp, another 300lbs and two more cylinders yields better gas mileage (comon that 6 speed auto isn't THAT great??!!) but that's what the EPA says! After a week with the new car,driving pretty much the same style / acceleration rates as my old car, I'm averaging at best 22mpg during my normal commute. Strictly city driving is definitely MUCH worse than my TSX even though they're rated at the same 20mpg.

My question... Are the EPA estimates THAT far off on my previous TSX (extremely underrated) or is the TL just not broken in quite yet? In my opinion there is noway that the larger, more powerful TL is going to achieve numbers like the TSX, even with the new 6 speed auto.

Since I achieved roughly 3 mpg above EPA combined in the TSX on my normal 13 mile commute shouldn't I also expect the same with the TL and not slightly BELOW the estimates? I cant vouch for the fuel that the dealer put in (still on my first tank) but I would assume it isn't going to make that much of a difference?? Anyone have any input??

samiam_68 · March 2012

Car manufacturers in the last couple of years have learned to trick the new EPA tests very well to come up with inflated EPA numbers. New cars are tuned to give their best economy under specific EPA test conditions.

prprt33 · March 2012

I've noticed that the EPA estimates are low compared to my real world driving MPG results. They say my 2005 Acura TL gets 18 City and 26 Highway, when the real results are 26MPG blended and 29MPG highway. I use 91 octane and stay very current on all preventative maintenance. I have 154,000 miles on it and she is still running like a champ. I agree with you guys, hard to beat MPG, power and looks still 7 years after I bought it new.

Acura TL Real World MPG

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